


Summer (Folkin' Around)

by 180cm



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Swimming, folkin' around, mingyu appears in two lines, poor descriptions of france, rich people, summer duh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-16 18:50:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19324012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/180cm/pseuds/180cm
Summary: Jaehyun was ready for a summer alone in the countryside, what he didn’t expect was the arrival of Sicheng to throw his whole world off balance in the best way possible.





	Summer (Folkin' Around)

**Author's Note:**

> beta-ed by google docs bc my beta was asleep so please be kind

There was a hum in the air as the wind blew through the trees, shaking the branches which cast moving shadows on the grass below. Jaehyun smiled up at the sky, watching the clouds move into different shapes. He had one arm resting under his head, propping him up as he read his novel, the sun shining down on him as he lay there. 

Jaehyun spent most of his summer days out on the field of wild yellow flowers. Sometimes he would read, sometimes he would draw or take photographs with his new camera that he had gotten for his birthday earlier that year. Mostly, though, Jaehyun was bask in the sun and write. Jaehyun loved writing; he had considered studying creative writing at university, however, he was quickly dissuaded. He still had a passion for it and that was enough for him. 

Today, he was reading. The old bookstore in town had just gotten a new shipment in when Jaehyun had visited last week and he had spent two hours going through all the new books, much to his mother’s dismay, picking out a handful to buy. He was on a mission to finish them all before his next trip into town. 

It had rained for most of the week following his purchase so this was the first chance Jaehyun had to go outside and enjoy the sun. He put away his novel, which he hadn’t been paying attention to for a while, and got up to stretch his limbs. He lay back down once he was done, going back to looking at the clouds. The sun was hot on his skin, but he didn’t mind as he let his eyes fall shut and listen to the birds fly above him. 

He woke up an hour later, confused, blinking at his surroundings in an effort to figure out what he’s doing in the middle of a field at midday. He sat up and yawned, eyes blacking up for a second.  
Glancing at his watch, he realised that he had missed lunch and let out a heavy sigh and he gathered up his novel and notebook. 

He walked across the field, taking his time and admiring the little yellow flowers growing throughout the field, the sun still shining brightly and the heat doubled since the morning. 

Jaehyun made his way through the field and into the small wooded area that lead to the creek attached to his property. The air was slightly cooler in the woods, the trees providing sparse but welcomed shade as he navigated through them, branches snapped underneath his feet as he stepped over them. 

He could hear the water running as the woods began to come to an end however, the greenery was too thick to see through which is why Jaehyun didn’t see him until he was stood on the outskirts of the woods, halted by the sight. 

There, swimming in the creek, was a boy, dark hair wet and floated in the water as he swam. His skinny, pale arms moved swiftly in a breaststroke through the water. 

Jaehyun had been here for a month already, summer having come earlier for him thanks to his exceptional performance in all his classes—sometimes it pays to be a nerd—and he had been alone at the creek every time he came down for a swim, which was almost every day. Today, however, he had a visitor. 

He walked cautiously to the log near the edge of the creek, careful not to make any noise and unintentionally startle the boy in the water. He stood and observed as the boy continued swimming. 

Jaehyun watched the water convulse as the boy swam closer towards where he was standing. He was still groggy from his nap and he felt a yawn coming on, his mouth opened wide and a deep demonic noise was broadcasted to the surrounding area. 

He slammed his hand across his mouth to stop any more sounds from coming out as the boy lifted his head from the water, looking around to identify the noise. His eyes quickly fell on Jaehyun, going wide in surprise and he immediately emerged from the water, making his way out of the creek and towards a bag propped against the log next to Jaehyun. Taking out a towel from the bag, he hurried dried his torso off and slung the towel across his hips, stray droplets of water falling from his hair and wetting his chest once again. 

Jaehyun cleared his throat and averted his gaze, staring out into the creek instead. 

“Sorry,” Jaehyun said nonchalantly. “Je suis désolé,” he corrected unsure about whether the boy knew English or not. 

“It’s alright, mate,” the boy said, chuckling, beads of water slowly travelling further down his abdomen. 

Once the stranger had dried off and put on dry clothes, he introduced himself to Jaehyun—his name was Sicheng and they had rented out the manor next to the Jung Manor for the summer as his father had some business in the city that required his immediate attention—and apologised for trespassing onto his property. Jaehyun shrugged it off and informed him he was welcome here any time. 

They two boys sat around the creek and chatted for a few hours, Jaehyun interrogating Sicheng briefly about his life and asking if he liked it here. _“So far, so good,”_ he had replied with a smirk, looking directly into Jaehyun’s eyes. 

 

They were out in the field, walking along the side under the morning sun. Jaehyun picked at the flowers at his knees as Sicheng grilled him about his estate. 

“Yeah, I’ve been coming here practically every summer,” he said, transferring a bunch of flowers to his left hand so he could pick some more with his right. “My grandparents used to own a small store in town when they first retired, it was the cutest little shop, and my dad bought this land so we could spend summers with them. I actually used like their little cottage more than here so I stayed there for most of the summer,” Jaehyun reminisced, recalling memories of his childhood. 

“Are your grandparents still here?” Sicheng asked, watching Jaehyun’s face fall as he halted in his flower picking. 

“No,” he cleared his throat and resumed tugging at the stubborn flower as he continued. “My dad made when move back home with us when my grandmother got sick a few years later and we didn’t come back for a few years, no reason to.” 

“Oh,” Sicheng said, feeling guilty bringing up a painful memory. “Is the store still there?” 

Jaehyun lit up, turning to face him with radiant smile painted across his face, dimples on full display. “Yeah! My grandmother wouldn’t let my dad sell it so we’re still renting it out, it’s still going!” 

“Can we go?” Sicheng beamed, excitement clear in his voice. 

Jaehyun nodded enthusiastically. 

They continued their stroll, Sicheng continuing his grilling and making plans to go into town someday soon to visit Jaehyun’s grandparents’ store. 

They were sitting by the edge of the field, having walked the entire length and back, Jaehyun having abruptly saved Sicheng from walking into traffic as they reached the end of the field where the green met the paved road. 

Sicheng picked at the grass, ignoring Jaehyun’s disapproving tuts. They occupied a comfortable silence, Jaehyun was surprised how quickly they had gotten to this stage—just sitting there, no need for conversation, besides, they had the whole summer for that. 

Sicheng sighed suddenly, throwing his arms up, grass falling from between his parted fingers. 

Jaehyun chuckled at the boy, shaking his head. His eyes landed on the pile of yellow flowers he had picked during their walk lying next to his camera and he gathered them up some flowers. He moved closer to Sicheng who stared at him, puzzled as his hands reached towards his hair. 

“What are you doing?” he asked after a minute, Jaehyun still messing with his hair. 

Jaehyun simply shushed him and continued working. When he was satisfied with the outcome, he reached for his camera and quickly snapped a photograph of a confused looking Sicheng with yellow wildflowers scattered through his hair. Sicheng’s pout deepened and something tugged at Jaehyun’s heart buried in his chest. 

“You look so cute!” Jaehyun gushed. 

A small smile spread across Sicheng’s lips and Jaehyun was quick to capture it, causing the blushing boy to giggle and hide his face with one hand as the other tried to push the camera away. 

Jaehyun laughed along with him, eventually stopping taking photographs and lying on his back to look at the clouds, Sicheng was quick to follow him, scrunching his eyes in an effort to make out shapes in the clouds. 

Jaehyun stole a glimpse at the boy as he observed the clouds, lips pursed in contemplation, a light blush apparent on his tan cheeks that was caused by relentless summer sun. He averted his gaze back to the clouds when he felt a pang, a harsh tug, in his chest again. 

 

Jaehyun sat in the car parked in the driveway, tapping his fingers against the car door to beat of the sweet song playing on the radio as he waited for Sicheng. 

“Sorry,” Sicheng said as he got in the car, sitting in the passenger seat next to Jaehyun and exaggerating a sigh. “My dad was going off on my brother about school, I had to sit there and take it too because my parents love grouping us together!” Sicheng continued ranting about his morning. 

The rest of the car ride was spent with Sicheng playing around with the radio until he found a station that played back to back songs, no breaks, and singing along to almost every single one. Jaehyun joined in on a few that he knew and Sicheng gushe dover his “honey voice”, making Jaehyun blush intensely. 

(And almost swerve into the car in the opposite lane but no one needs to know that.) 

When they finally got into town, Jaehyun pulled into the first parking spot he found near the row of stores at the heart of the town. They exited the car and made their way towards the old bookstore, Jaehyun was overdue for a visit. 

They spent an exceptionally long time browsing the shelves thoughtfully. Jaehyun conversed with the store owner briefly, asking about the new books and discussing one of the novels he had bought from the last shipment. Sicheng picked out two romance novels and a poetry book before following Jaehyun around while he searched for a novel by an author the store owner had told him about. 

When they left the bookstore, they were both starving. Luckily lunch was near and Jaehyun knew the perfect place to eat. 

He lead them through some side streets, books in plastic bags swinging side to side and Jaehyun all but skipped along the street. When he finally came to a stop, Sicheng was met with bustling people, moving from stall to stall. Jaehyun turned back towards Sicheng and smiled before grabbing his hand and dragging him behind him as he navigated their way through the crowds of people to a specific part of the market that sold food. 

“Okay, so,” Jaehyun started when they arrived at a stall with bags of potatoes littered around the perimeter. “Most of the good food places are a little further down and are mostly dessert but this,” Jaehyun pointed to the potato stall in front of them. “This place has the best parmesan truffle fries I’ve ever had!” 

Jaehyun greeted the petite woman behind the stall who was busy taking out a batch of fries from the fryer as he took a seat on one of the three chairs that were available to sit on. The chef stopped what she was doing immediately upon seeing Jaehyun and rushed over to him. Sicheng took a seat next to him and politely smiled at the lady when she looked at him. Jaehyun introduced him to the owner and they chatted for a little while in broken French before she excused herself to go prepare their order. 

“How do you know her?” Sicheng asked him when they were alone. 

Jaehyun smiled at the memory. “She lived in the cottage next to my grandparents, my grandmother used to bring me to this market every weekend—it gets so big, the farmers bring out fresh produce and everyone goes wild!” he beamed. “Anyway, so, I would always get hungry during the fruit hunt so my grandmother would drop me off here and Clarisse would keep me company while I munched on her delicious fries.” 

Sicheng smiled, imagining a little Jaehyun stuffing his face with handfuls of fries. He watched Jaehyun excitedly swing his legs back and forth on the tall stool as they waited for their fries. 

Not long after, Clarisse placed a large wooden bowl topped with a mountain of fries and truffles, and parmesan cheese grated over it all, in front of the two boys. Jaehyun’s hand immediately darted towards the fries, his grubby little fingers grabbing a few and presenting it in front of Sicheng’s face, signalling for him to open his mouth. Sicheng ate the fries, chewing thoughtfully as Jaehyun stared at him, waiting for his verdict. 

“Tasty!” he said grinning. 

Jaehyun laughed, pushing him playfully before turning his attention to the fries in front of him and proceeding to stuff his face with the delicious potato sticks. 

Jaehyun and Sicheng spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the dessert stalls in the market, Jaehyun buying something from almost every stall they passed. Sicheng was stuffed with crepes and beignets by the third stall but couldn’t refuse the next dessert Jaehyun held out to him, expectant face waiting for his hum of enjoyment and approval. 

“No more, please!” Sicheng pleaded when they exited the market and Jaehyun grabbed hold of his arm again, pulling him to the side, hyper from all the sugar he had consumed in such a short time. 

Jaehyun laughed, leaning against the brick wall of a bakery while Sicheng took a break from all the walking. 

“Don’t worry,” he said and Sicheng visibly relaxed. “We’re almost done!” 

Sicheng was being dragged once again, hand held tight by Jaehyun’s as they maneuvered through the people littered on the pavement. 

When they stopped again, they were standing in front of a small flower shop, signs hung on the window advertising a sale. Sicheng glanced up at the sign, bold, baby blue letters painting **LES FLEURS DE JAE** on the pastel pink background, little dandelions overlapping the letters as they mimicked the real thing being blown away by the window. 

“This is your grandparents’ store?” Jaehyun nodded, smile ever present on his lips. “They named it after you?” Another nod. “That’s so cute!! Sicheng gushed, resisting the urge to squish Jaehyun’s cheeks. 

Inside, rose petals and leaves hung from the ceiling on coloured strings; they grazed the top of Jaehyun’s head as he made his way further into the store. They wandered through the store, stopping to smell the various flowers on display and asking the girl behind the counter—a lovely young woman named Emilie who Jaehyun was unsurprisingly familiar with—about the meanings of each flower. 

By the time they left, it was significantly darker, the sun having started to set while they were browsing through the store. Sicheng waited outside, a succulent tucked safely in a cardboard box in his hand, while Jaehyun said his goodbyes to Emilie. 

He was startled by something brushing against the back of his hand but relaxed when he saw Jaehyun standing next to him, skin glowing in the evening sun. 

They walked back to the car in silence, Jaehyun took Sicheng’s bags from him and instructed him to wait in the car while he put their shopping away. Sicheng was playing around with the radio when Jaehyun sat in the driver’s seat and fastened his seatbelt. He watched Sicheng hide a yawn, turning his head to look out of the window and letting his eyes fall shut. Jaehyun sat staring at his face, watching the slight fluttering of his eyelashes as he fought the sleep that was overtaking him. His lips hung open, barely, involuntarily and his breathing deepened, now fully asleep. Jaehyun smiled to himself, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, before he tried his best to start the car and drive them home without waking Sicheng up. 

 

“Sicheng, hey,” Jaehyun tentatively shook the boys bony shoulder, trying to shake him awake without alarming him. “Hey, wake up,” Sicheng mumbled something incoherent, his face contorting into something unrecognisable, Jaehyun couldn’t help the smile that spread across his lips. 

Sicheng blinked open his eyes. 

“We’re home,” Jaehyun announced once the boy’s eyes settled on him. 

Sicheng nodded, stretched his arms out above him as much as he could in the limited space the car provided and yawning big. 

They exited the car walked to the trunk, collecting their bags of books and plants before going their separate ways to their houses. 

Jaehyun hesitated on his doorstep, running back and calling after Sicheng who was almost all the way inside. 

“Hey!” he whisper-yelled at his retreating back. Sicheng turned to look at him, eyebrow raised in question. “Meet me here in—” he glanced at his watch. “—an hour. I have something to show you.” 

Sicheng nodded, eyes still tired from his nap. Jaehyun beamed at him and waved goodbye, watching him disappear through the door before he headed inside himself. 

 

Jaehyun bounced on his feet impatiently, looking between his watch and Sicheng’s front door hoping the boy would come out soon. 

Not long after, Sicheng stepped out of his house, face covered by the shadow of his black hood as he casually strolled towards Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun groaned, still impatient and marched towards Sicheng, grabbing his arm and dragging him inside. 

“Sorry,” Sicheng sighed, taking his hood off once they were safely inside. “I had to make sure my dad wouldn’t see me leaving,” he explained and waited for Jaehyun to release his arm from his deathly grip. 

“It’s alright,” Jaehuun sighed, moving up the spiral staircase, looking back to make sure Sicheng was following. “We still have time!” 

They made their way to the top floor of Jaehyun’s house and stood in front of a thick wooden door with three separate locks adorning the front as Jaehyun dug through his pockets for the keys. 

When the door open, Sicheng was met with a picnic. Jaehyun had laid out a checkered blanket on the roof terrace with a woven basket placed next to it. The setting sun cast an orange glow over the scene. 

“Dude?” Sicheng asked in question, placing his hand over his heart, fake touched. 

Jaehyun rolled his eyes, walking further out onto the roof and taking a seat on the blanket. Sicheng lazily dragged himself and sat down next to Jaehyun. 

“Not that I don’t… appreciate this,” he started. “But what are we doing here?” 

Jaehyun beamed, omitting speech and opting to place his hands on Sicheng’s shoulders and turn him to look forward. 

“Oh,” Sicheng whispered upon seeing the sun hung behind the trees. From this height, they had a perfect view of the sunset, the blue hues long gone from the sky, giving way to the blazing crimson shades that were now slowly occupying the sky above. 

They watched the sun set in silence, occasionally exchanging bright smiles at the stunning sight unfolding in front of them. Somewhere in the middle, Jaehyun felt Sicheng’s head rest on his shoulder, he chanced a glance down at the boy and saw his eyes had fallen shut. He tried not to move much as he stared at the stars that had now taken over the sky in case he disturbed the sleeping boy. 

As the night progressed, the air became more chilled, the heat disappearing for the night and providing some solace for the suffering beings. Jaehyun inched towards the wicker picnic basket and taking out the extra blanket that he had forgotten to take out when he packed the basket earlier. He managed to take it out and had almost successfully draped over Sicheng when the boy stirred awake. 

He blinked several times, lifting his head off of Jaehyun’s shoulder and finding the boy’s eyes, his lips pursed in an unspoken question. 

Jaehyun dropped the blanket over his shoulders and cleared his throat, looking ahead. 

Sicheng cuddled into the blanket, warming up. “Thanks for today,” he said. “I had a lot of fun.” 

Jaehyun simply smiled, dimples popping out. 

Sicheng chuckled at his response and Jaehyun’s head whipped to the side to glare at him though there was no heat behind it. It only deepened Sicheng’s laughter.  
Jaehyun began to chuckle along with the tired boy, a strand of hair falling over his eye as he tilted his head down, shoulders bouncing lightly. 

Before he knew it, Jaehyun was reaching forward with his hand and brushing the loose strand back. He dropped his hand as if the lock of hair had burned him when he made eye contact with Sicheng. 

To his surprise, Sicheng didn’t give him a disgusted look and run away, instead holding his gaze; deep brown eyes that were clouded with sleep staring right through him. Jaehyun didn’t know who leaned in first, what had happened in the last five seconds for him to be inches away from Sicheng’s face, gaze flickering back and forth between his lips and his eyes, searching for a sign on how to proceed. 

With a final gaze into his eyes, Jaehyun closed his eyes and bridged the remaining distance between them and placed a soft kiss on Sicheng’s lips, testing, waiting for the boy to respond. 

Sicheng responded, placing his hands on Jaehyun’s shoulders, one hand snaking around the back of his neck and into his soft locks. Jaehyun moved his own hands to Sicheng’s face, holding him still as he deepened the kiss, moving their lips along urgently as they moved closer and flush against one another. 

The kiss continued passionately, a flurry of arms moving all over each other’s body, breathing heavy. They only parted to breathe, both boys panting heavily, trying to regain some air. 

Sicheng was the first to speak. 

“I should go,” 

Jaehyun’s heart dropped though he didn’t show it. Clearing his throat, he stood up and offered a hand to Sicheng who accepted it and pulled himself up. Together they folded up the blankets, placing them back in the basket and taking it inside with them. Jaehyun placed it on the table near the door and locked up before walking Sicheng out, the lantern they had borrowed from the roof terrace illuminating a path for them to follow in the pitch black night. 

He stood in the doorway watching as she Sicheng walked across the driveway to his house, turning back once he was at the door to address Jaehyun. 

“See you tomorrow?” 

Jaehyun nodded, smile returning to his face as Sicheng disappeared into his house. 

 

The next day, Jaehyun hurried to the creek, wondering if Sicheng was already there. He stumbled through the bushes, the midday sun glaring against the still water in the creek. Sicheng was perched on the log, poking at the dirt in front of him with a stick. He stood up when he heard footsteps approaching, a shy smile on his lips. 

“Hi,” Jaehyun grinned as he greeted the boy. 

“Hi,” Sicheng replied, turning his head to look at the water. 

Jaehyun took the opportunity to place a tentative kiss on his cheek. 

Sicheng whipped his head to face Jaehyun, surprised. The other boy simply grinned again, catching his lips in a quick, gentle kiss. 

When they parted, Sicheng rolled his eyes, jokingly pushing the Jaehyun away. 

“Let’s swim,” 

 

The next few weeks flew by with the two spending every moment together, swimming in the creek under the hot summer blaze and laughing in the field as Jaehyun took photographs of the greenery, the yellow wildflowers, and Sicheng who laughed every time as he pushed the camera away, falling on top of Jaehyun in the process and stealing sweet kisses as they frolic among the tall grass. 

They made several trips into town, Sicheng conversing with Emilie more confidently as he asked about her new flowers while Jaehyun was busy in the photography store across the street, developing the multitude of photographs he had snapped throughout their days.

A storm had come and the two boys had happily huddled together in the Jung stables, trying to get warm while they waited for the rain to seize, sharing kisses under the cracked wooden awning of the stable as rain water dripped around them. 

(They ended up running from one side of the property to the other at the end of the evening, soaking in the unrelenting rain, thunder roaring above them.) 

They had ventured out into the city one day, it was a spur of the moment and they had both gotten in trouble with their parents when they arrived home at 2 AM but it was the most fun Jaehyun had had all summer. Sicheng had secretly bought him a chestnut ukulele which he gave him the following afternoon and Jaehyun played a sweet melody as he sat against the old willow tree at the edge of the property, Sicheng on the unsteady swing attached to a branch of the tree. He sauntered over to Jaehyun as he finished his melody, gifting him with kisses for his delightful song. 

Their moments together caused a warm feeling in Jaehyun’s heart, it was tender and intimate. It was happy. And Jaehyun was falling fast. 

 

Jaehyun woke up to the sound of an engine starting, the clock on his bedside table informed him that it was 4:05 AM. He dragged his body out of bed and over to his window where he watched as a shiny, black town car pulled out of the driveway, headlights disappearing as it turned onto the main road and out of Jaehyun’s sight. He shrugged and rubbed at his eyes, yawning as he collapsed back onto his bed, sleep overtaking him soon after. 

 

In the morning he grabs an apple and journeys to the creek to meet Sicheng. When he arrived, he was greeted with a songbird perched on the log where Sicheng usually waited for him. He shrugged, shedding his clothes as he walked closer to the water, deciding to swim for a bit while he waited. 

When Sicheng still hadn’t arrived after he had a quick swim, Jaehyun trudges back home for lunch, hoping to meet the boy after, _maybe he’s being held up by his dad again,_ he thought. 

 

Once home, he immediately joined his parents at the dinner table just as Henry brought out their lunches. Jaehyun tuned into their conversation as he dug into his chicken salad, his interest piqued when he noticed they were gossiping about the next door neighbours, whispering conspiratorially even in the privacy of their own home.

“Martha said she heard a car coming in the middle of the night,” his mother disclosed. 

Jaehyun was curious now, remembering the car that had woken him up earlier that morning. “Who?” 

His parents turned to look at him, finally aware of his presence. 

“Oh,” his mother began, throwing a quick glance to her husband . “The Dongs had a visitor late last night, very suspicious,” she concluded. 

“I saw a car leave their driveway this morning,” he announced to which his mother’s eyes shot open. 

“You did?” she asked. “Dd you see who was in the car? 

Jaehyun shook his head. “I just saw the car drive away,” he replied. His parents exchanged a deflated look. 

“They’ve probably sent him off,” his father supplied, going back to his newspaper, the conversation concluded for him. 

“Who?” Jaehyun asked again, puzzled. “And where?” 

His mother leaned in closer, Jaehyun was her only gossip buddy now. “Martha heard from the Dongs’ maids that they’re marrying their son to some heiress as part of a merger, I guess he left today, did he not tell you? You two seemed close...” she said shrugging before going back to her breakfast. 

Jaehyun was frozen, his salad long forgotten and they refused to support it any longer. His thoughts were racing with a million questions. Marriage? Sicheng? _What?_

He quickly snapped back to reality, and hurriedly rose from his seat, his cutlery clacking against each other on his barely touched plate. His parents looked at him curiously, questioning his actions. But he didn’t have time to explain, he didn’t have time for anything. He needed to get to Sicheng. 

He sprinted to the creek, his stomach in knots as he reached the clearing and there was no sign of Sicheng. He looked around still, searching, hoping to see him coming out from behind a bush or emerging from the incandescent water, laughing and asking why he looks so frazzled but there was nothing. 

He raced to the field next, scanning the field from the hill overlooking the entire area. Still nothing. 

He wasn’t at the stable either, or the flower shop in town. Clarisse hadn’t seen him either. 

He was gone. 

Jaehyun slumped at the side of the road on his way back from town, having had to pull over to breathe for a moment. He was gone. 

 

His life continued without Sicheng, who was just a memory now, a pain in his chest that he felt every morning when he woke up and every night as he willed himself to fall asleep. The pain became a constant in his life, to the point where he couldn’t feel it anymore but he knew it was always there, burrowing itself deep in his ventricles and waiting. 

Jaehyun spent the rest of his summer going to the creek alone, swimming for a few hours before hiking deep into the woods until it got dark and unsafe and his parents expected him back for dinner. 

He spent a lot of time gardening, planting seeds he had bought from Emilie, it was the only activity that cleared his mind long enough so he wasn’t thinking about Sicheng all day long. 

He couldn’t take it anymore. This place that he once loved for its peace and quiet and beautiful scenery, this place that had become his home in a different way, a place he could share with the one he loved, the one he didn’t even get an opportunity to tell him that he loved him, had become a poison. Slowly, he avoided going to the creek, even the thought of leaving his room made him terrified. He spent most days in his room, alone, only leaving to pick up new books from the old bookstore in town. His visits were at most an hour long, including the journey. 

That’s why when he received an email one afternoon while in town, informing the members of the literature society of the tragic injury their president suffered over the past week and they needed extra volunteers to help out at orientation, Jaehyun was quick to email the vice president back and volunteer his name. 

(He rushed home after sending the email to inform his parents that he had been called back to school early and sprinted up to his room to pack his essentials: his notebook, photographs, camera, and the ukelele Sicheng has bought him when they had gone to the city the week before Sicheng had left. He stuffed the rest of his suitcase with clothes and took it downstairs. 

Jaehyun had dinner with his parents that night for the for the first time in two weeks , a small smile stretched across his face as he waited for his taxi to arrive and take him away.)

⬣⬣

Jaehyun excused himself from his coworkers, Mingyu whining for him to stay, and took a seat at the bar, motioning the bartender to get him another drink as he did so.

He grabbed the newspaper that was on the stool next to him and started reading as he waited for his drink and continued reading when he received it, sipping on the drink periodically as he flipped through the paper. 

After a while, someone took the seat next to him, Jaehyun ignored them, assuming it was Mingyu coming to ask him to come back and join the group, complaining about being alone with a bunch of drunk losers as if he wasn’t one of them too. 

“Bourbon, on the rocks,” said the person. 

Jaehyun froze. The voice was all too familiar for having not heard it in almost ten years. 

He hesitantly put down the paper and slowly turned towards the newcomer, studying his features and comparing it to the image in his mind. 

The newcomer could feel eyes on him and swiftly turned his head towards Jaehyun, his eyes going as wide—and were as beautiful—as they had the first time he saw Jaehyun at the creek. 

“J-Jaehyun?” Sicheng asked, surprise clear in his voice. 

“Hey,” Jaehyun managed to croak out. He took a drink to clear his throat. “Long time no see,” 

Sicheng’s eyes remained wide open as he studied Jaehyun, not saying anything. 

“How have you been?” Jaehyun asked when a moment passed and Sicheng still hadn’t said anything. 

Sicheng composed himself, eyes averted from Jaehyun as his drink was placed in from of him. 

“Thanks, mate,” he said to the bartender, taking a sip from his drink to buy some time before he had to address Jaehyun again. “I’ve been well,” he said, finally. “You?” 

Jaehyun sighed, laughing. “You know how business folk are, always tired, never enough time in the day…” he joked, trailing off. “I’m good,” he then said more seriously. 

Sicheng nodded, sipping on his drink. 

The atmosphere was awkward, the silence that hung between them was uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Jaehyun hated it. 

“This is awkward,” Sicheng stated, a small laugh escaping his lips. “I should go,” 

Jaehyun froze. 

“Stay,” he whispered hoping Sicheng hadn’t heard him in the raucous of the bar. 

Sicheng remained seated and finished his drink. He ordered another one for both of them after seeing that Jaehyun’s glass was also empty and they sat, silent for a while, before they struck up a conversation, reminiscing about old times and marvelling at the popularity of mobile phones and how easy it had made communicating with others. 

(Sicheng had jotted down his own number and stuffs it in Jaehyun’s jacket pocket, making him promise to call him soon.) 

Jaehyun’s colleagues leave without informing him and Jaehyun is too caught up in catching up with Sicheng to notice. 

By the time they leave, the street outside is empty except for a few black cabs circling the area. Jaehyun flags one down and collapses into the backseat ready to fall asleep right there. 

Sicheng watches the cab drive away around the corner before he starts walking in the opposite direction towards his own flat. 

 

By the next week, Jaehyun still hasn’t called and Sicheng is starting to think he doesn’t want to see him again. That is until Sicheng is cutting through St. James Park on his way back to the office from his lunch break when he notices a familiar figure reading a newspaper on a bench next to an ice cream cart. 

Jaehyun looks up at the stranger who blocked his light, ready to throw some curse words their way which all died on his lips as his eyes met Sicheng’s intense brown orbs. 

“Hey,” he greets the skinny man in front of him. 

“You never called,” Sicheng says in lieu of normal greeting, sad look on his face. 

“I—” Jaehyun stuttered, surprised. 

Sicheng continued staring at him expectantly. 

Jaehyun sighed. “You left.” 

Sicheng’s breathing faltered as his shoulders slumped, dejected. His heart throbbed in this chest at the look on Jaehyun’s face. 

“You left seven years ago and I didn’t think you would come back now,” 

Realisation and guilt washed over Sicheng. He sat down on the bench next to Jaehyun, taking his messenger bag off and placing it next to him. 

“It wasn’t my choice,” he said in an almost whisper. 

Jaehyun’s head snapped to look at him, his features downcast and miserable. “What do you mean?” 

Sicheng heaved a deep sigh, forcing himself to remember that awful night that they were so harshly separated. 

 

_Sicheng sat on the uncomfortable living room couch and read his sociology textbook to prepare for the upcoming semester, and show his father that he didn’t “waste the entire day”. His father sat in an armchair across from him reading the evening newspaper, he briefly glanced up as Vera placed a plate of melon on the coffee table between them._

_“Come on, boys, grab some fruit,” his mother ordered as she waltzed into the room, still in her high heels that she refused to take off until she went to bed._

_Mr Dong sighed heavily before putting his newspaper away and helping himself to a plateful of melon._

_“Oh!” Mrs Dong exclaimed as she offered Sicheng some fruit. “Darling, I was helping Vera do your laundry this morning and I found a letter in your pocket,”_

_Sicheng scrunched up his eyebrows. “What letter?” he asked, accepting the plate his mother was holding out for him._

_“Oh, don’t worry honey I didn’t read it,” she said, misunderstanding Sicheng’s confusion. “I had Vera hold on to it until you got home but I guess we forgot—Vera!” she laughed, calling out for their maid._

_Vera came rushing in. “Yes, ma’am?”_

_“Give Sicheng his letter,” she demanded._

_Vera looked troubled which worried Sicheng. She usually did whatever was asked of her, no questions asked. Suddenly Sicheng was recalling every letter he had written and received over the duration of his time here, trying to remember what could have Vera feeling nervous._

_He couldn’t think of anything but the worry still remained as he waited for Vera to hand him his letter._

_His mother noticed her hesitation. “Vera, we don’t have all night,” she urged._

_Vera shook her head, muttering a hurried apology before reaching into the pocket of her apron and pulling out an open envelope. Sicheng knew immediately what it was._

_She held it out to him with shaky hands which caused the envelope to slip from between her fingers just as Sicheng reached out for it._

_It landed by his father’s feet. The contents falling out in the process and scattering on the floor._

_Mr Dong stared at the mess before dramatically sighing and picking it up, gather the fallen contents and attempted to put them back inside as shot Vera a nasty glare, who recoiled from the gaze and whispered more apologies before retreating from the room._

_Sicheng’s fingers were itching to just grab the envelope from his father but he knew that would cause suspicion._

_Mr Dong reached down to grab the last of the spilled contents from the ground, freezing as he turned it around to put it back in the envelope. His eyes narrowed as he brought it closer to inspect it._

_Sicheng stared at his father intensely studying the photograph._

_“What’s wrong?” he asked tentatively._

_His father remained silent, glancing up at SIcheng with deadly eyes. He took out the rest of the photographs and inspected each one carefully before laying them all on the table. Photographs of Sicheng smiling and laughing littered the coffee table, among them were some of Jaehyun and him in the field of wildflowers and in the woods and by the old willow tree. There were a couple of blurry shots of when Sicheng had tackled Jaehyun and they ended up kissing, he hadn’t realised Jaehyun had snapped any photos until he had developed them and shown it to Sicheng._

_His father was glaring at him egregiously and Sicheng knew he was fucked._

 

“He called my cousin without another word and by morning I was gone.” he concluded his story, staring about into the water as the swans floated past them. “I would never have left you.” 

Jaehyun looked at him with wide eyes, cursing himself for thinking so negatively about the boy after he had left him. He wanted to apologise a million different ways but all that came out was a simple, “I’m sorry,” 

Sicheng turned to look at him, puzzled about his apology. “You don’t have anything to apologise for,” he said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

Jaehyun shook his head in disagreement. “No, I blamed you,” he said. “For leaving, I blamed you. If I had known, I would have tried to find you—I would have called you when you gave me your number, but, I blamed you, thought terrible things about you. You didn’t deserve that.” 

“Hey,” he hurried to say, trying to get Jaehyun to look him in the eyes. “You acted accordingly,” Jaehyun began to argue but Sicheng was quick to shush him with a stern look. 

Jaehyun sighed, giving in. 

They sat in peaceful silence for a moment, watching the water, the London traffic muffled behind them. 

“Have dinner with me,” Jaehyun stated breaking the silence, there was no question in his voice. “Tomorrow night.” 

Sicheng smiled, nodding in confirmation. 

Jaehyun returned his smile, taking hold of Sicheng’s hand that was resting on the bench between them. Sicheng stared down at their joined hands, eyes going wide as he saw a glimpse of his watch. 

He shot up, hauling his messenger bag on his shoulder. He looked down at Jaehyun apologetically. “I’m super late for work,” he stated and slowly started walking backwards. 

Jaehyun stared at him worriedly. “Go,” he urged him. “I’ll call you later!” 

Sicheng beamed as he turned and raced back to his office, his smile never leaving his face.

⬣⬣

The August heat was unrelenting but the cool breeze wafting through the air and rustling the three branches allowed for people to enjoy the outdoors.

Jaehyun sat, perched against the trunk of the big weeping willow that stood a few metres from the creek they used to swim in many years ago, on leg propped up to stop his guitar from slipping off. Sicheng lay next to him, his head resting on Jaehyun’s thigh as he listened to his fingers strum notes on the guitar, his sweet, honey voice mixing with the chirping of the birds flying above them. He closed his eyes and listened to the words being sung, remembering the countless times he had heard it all those years ago. Jaehyun sounded just as sweet, just as perfect as the first time Sicheng heard him sing in the car on their way into town and he opened his ears and turned to look at him sing, study his face as he formed the words of the song, his eyes staring into the distance. 

Jaehyun blushed when he felt Sicheng’s eyes on him and smiled down at the man, smile growing wider when Sicheng reciprocated his smile. 

When the song eventually came to an end Jaehyun put his guitar aside and cupped Sicheng’s face in his hands, positioning it slightly to the side as he bent down and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. 

Sicheng chased after his lips when Jaehyun separates from him, pulling him back down with a hand on the back of his neck. 

They stayed like that, kissing on the tree trunk for a while only separating when the pain in Jaehyun’s back from being bent over too long became unbearable. Sicheng giggles at him as he rubbed his back and called him an old man at which Jaehyun pouted, feigning sadness which was met with a scoff from Sicheng. 

Jaehyun launched himself at Sicheng attacking his sides and tickling him while he planted wet kisses all over his face. Sicheng laughed uncontrollable trying to push him off, kicking his legs in hopes of landing a hit on Jaehyun even though their position wouldn’t allow it. 

Jaehyun eventually ceased his attacks and the two lay side by side in the shade of the weeping willow, staring at the clouds from between the parted branches of the tree. Jaehyun played with Sicheng’s fingers as he observed the clouds changing shape and drifting away, slowly, content.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed this rushed piece of work, i'll try to edit it and make it better later
> 
> comments and kudos are super appreciated 
> 
> come talk to me on [twt](https://twitter.com/180centimetres) and [cc](https://curiouscat.me/markly) :)


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